“Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political;. . . freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected,—these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation.

Authorities say an off-duty Gardena police officer shot and killed a man with a knife who was trying to rob a diner in Bellflower. Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Gil Carrillo says the officer was eating at a Norm’s Restaurant at about 2 a.m. today when the would-be robber came in.

Carrillo says the officer tried to stop the robbery and the man charged at him with a knife. He says the officer, fearing for his life, shot and killed the man, who died at the scene.

Carrillo says the officer is a five-year veteran of the Gardena Police Department.

Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope Givens says the man in his early 30s was hospitalized in critical condition Monday. Police are trying to determine his identity and whether he was trying to kill himself or escape.

She says a California National Bank branch was robbed about 9:15 a.m. and a witness followed the robber, reporting via cell phone that he had run into the structure. The man ran to the roof after officers arrived and jumped to the concrete below, suffering multiple fractures including broken legs.

Person of Interest in Rape of Girl, 11, Badly Beaten by Furious Neighbors

A person of interest in the horrifying rape of an 11-year-old girl on her way to school in Philadelphia was severely beaten by angry neighbors — and the attack was caught on camera.

Jose Carrasquillo, 26, is currently in stable condition after the videotaped beating by about a dozen West Kensington residents, according to police. The mob pummeled Carrasquillo for several minutes with wooden sticks, their fists and their feet, authorities said.